


Merchant of Death

by Reirani



Category: Gundam & Related Fandoms, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Gen, Genius Tony Stark, Nick Fury is Not Amused, Steve Rogers is not a good bro, Tony was a Gundam Pilot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 15:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15932918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reirani/pseuds/Reirani
Summary: “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?”That seemingly innocent yet condescending question unraveled the history of Tony Stark that he felt everyone didn't need to know. It was the same reason why he used a different name then. Besides, he left that part of him years ago, but now... he didn't mind to shove it everyone's face just to see their expressions.





	Merchant of Death

**Author's Note:**

> After watching Iron Man, I couldn't help but wonder how in the world Tony had the design to make Mark I or be able to pilot it if he didn't have prior experience. But what if he did have experience with suits before? Since there wasn't any history about him from his early 20s till Iron Man, I freely conjured up the history myself. 
> 
> Hence, the birth of this story.

“Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?”

Tony resisted the urge to smirk at that condescending question, just to spite the man before him, but he did not. Instead, he made sure he had that flippant uncaring attitude – which he dubbed it as his media mask – before he responded in the same uncaring tone.

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” The standard magazine answer he gave to anyone who asked.

It was very amusing that no one knew whom he was behind his masks – his intelligence birthed Mark I, a suit he made out of scraps in captivity in the middle of nowhere, and the same intelligence heightened the growth of Stark Industry from a multimillion national company to a multibillion international company. Those were just some examples from recent years.

Everyone seemed to forget the person behind the media mask he portrayed. Not that he could fault them, because he certainly didn't want them to realize whom he truly happened to be.

“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”

It looked like Rogers wasn't done with the analysis of him. It was amusing to Tony how the supposed Captain America thought to know him based upon mere minutes of his autobiography video. It was hilarious how one could judge another entirely with a footage. Although he was mildly curious to know what kind of footage Rogers was speaking of – the one from one of his extravagant parties, or the one from his past.

“I think I would just cut the wire.”

Indeed, he would. Why would he do something silly like a sacrifice play when he could obliterate the trouble at its source? He does have the intelligence and the means to do it.

“Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat, but you'd better stop pretending to be a hero.” Rogers continued in that same condescending tone.

Tony wanted to laugh at that statement, and he could tell that everyone was paying attention to their conversation from the silence in the room even if they pretended they were not.

Him, a pretending to be a hero? He _was_ already one years ago, back when he was in his early twenties. It was because of him, his group, and the Stark Industries weapons and technologies that achieved the peace they had now – not that it was a popular knowledge now. Everyone and their grandmother hailed him and his group as heroes then, they were famous even when they disappeared from the face of Earth. It was a distant memory now, but still, the implications implied.

Instead of giving an explanation on the matter, he gave sharp smile and retaliated with a, “A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle.”

His smile only grew sharper when Rogers looked thoroughly incensed at this remark, and loomed over him to say, “Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds.”

He rolled his eyes at this antic and at the thought of Rogers believing he would cave into this coercion. He didn’t need to prove himself to Rogers, or to anyone. This wasn’t some high school hallway drama between a jock and a nerd.

He looked over to Fury, silently inquiring if this ‘Captain America’ was going to be a part of the misfit team. When the older man gave a slight shrug in response, he merely heaved an exasperated sigh and massaged his temple.

“You do realize that I can easily handle this by myself, Nick. This isn’t my first rodeo facing an army.” Tony commented in a calm tone, walking away from Rogers. “I don’t need backup.”

He dismissed the confused echoes in the room and raised a brow at Fury’s incredulous look, more so when he heard the older man say, “Didn’t you and your misfits destroyed the suits? I don’t think Iron Man could handle an army of Chitauri by himself.”

“What are you talking about, sir?” Natasha interrupted.

“We did destroy the suits, Nick.” Tony responded, but entirely ignoring that little question from the spider. “Our old ones, that is. Do you really believe we would destroy our means to fight back when we know there are enemies out there? General populace might not agree with having such heavy artillery in our possession in fear of having another war amongst ourselves, but we do need have a means to counterattack if there is another invasion. Like now.”

“And knowing you, you only made it better.” Fury sighed exasperatedly at his cheeky grin, and then grumbled out, “So, you really think we don’t need Avengers Initiative for this? Are you sure you don’t want to be in this team?”

“A God, two super spies, a Hulk, and a super soldier as your team? That sounds interesting.” He chuckled at the roster as he glanced over the mentioned people. “Sure, if you think they’ll be helpful and can work together. However, for the record, I will be working alone.”

“Do you really think that’s wise, Tony?” Bruce inserted with a frown. “Those are aliens out there. It’s not just one or two – there’s an army!”

He looked over to the fellow scientist to see a worried look on the other man’s face, and simply gave a slight reassuring smile in response.

“Let me guess, your new suit is already here and waiting for you.” Fury remarked in a deadpanned tone.

“Of course. Azrael, my new suit, is just invisible to naked eyes. Or in your case, eye.” Tony replied cheekily and gave a playful smirk at that exasperated look. “I will, of course, try to keep the damages to a minimum, but I cannot make any promises. The others are on standby and ready to disembark at a moment’s notice, just in case. It will be easier to locate and destroy the source instead of engaging with its pawns.”

“Azrael, huh.” Fury repeated with a thoughtful hum. “Think you can find the source?”

He shrugged in response and looked over the window, “Shouldn’t be too hard given I’ve added JARVIS to its interface. I will be taking my leave now before they wreck the city further than they already have.”

He flicked a gaze towards the prospective members of Avengers Initiative, noticing confused and judging gazes, and headed over the edge of ramp. He pulled out his cellphone – a custom made – and keyed in a passcode before he shoved it back in his pocket.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks, Nicky; but I don’t need it.” Tony replied flippantly with a grin. “My skills and intelligence alone brought us victory the first time around. It’ll be the same this time too.”

With his piece said, he leaped over the ramp – most likely surprising everyone on board if those startled gasps were anything – and neatly landed in the cockpit of Azrael, an 18 meters mobile suit that was currently in a small jet form. He glanced up to the Quinjet to see that nearly everyone was looking over the ramp, so he decided to give a half-wave and went over the system check before he pulled on the thrusters.

\---------

“What the hell was that?” Clint blurted out with narrowed eyes. “How come we didn’t know there was a jet right below us?”

Fury chuckled at the inquiry, and signaled to one of the agents – whose name he didn’t bother to remember – to close the ramp. He didn’t need anyone falling to their death simply because they were curious about Azrael.

“What do you know of the name ‘Edward Carbonell’?” He decided to ask instead.

When no one uttered a word, aside from Natasha narrowing her eyes inquisitively, he opted to appease their curiosity with the information. Surely, Tony would forgive him for this.

“He was one of the six pilots to operate a mobile suit to combat against an alien invasion we had roughly twenty years ago. He earned his moniker ‘Merchant of Death’, not only for the weapons he and his company manufactured, but also for his ruthless fighting style in and out of his suit.”  

“What does this have to do with Friend Stark?” Thor questioned in confused tone.

Fury gave a mocking smirk at the puzzled looks from the prospective members of Avengers Initiative, and said, “Stark’s full name is Anthony Edward Stark.”

“So?”

He looked over to Clint before he elaborated, “His mother’s maiden name was Carbonell. Have you idiots figured it out?”

“Are you telling us that Stark was – is – Edward Carbonell?” Natasha inquired with concentrated gaze.

“What is this significance of Edward Carbonell? Was he a mighty warrior of your time?” Thor interjected confusedly.

“He piloted Azrael, a mobile suit similar to Iron Man you saw, but it was roughly 18 meters. From what I remembered, it contained various rifles and heavy weaponry designed for ground and space combat. After the war, all six pilots destroyed the suits to ensure that they were not a threat to mankind. Various scientists tried to search the location of the destroyed suits to analyze them, but no one could find it. However, from the fight analyses by various experts, they concluded that two of the six suits contained an interface that allowed its pilot to have significantly decreased reaction time. It was easily the most technologically advanced machinery at the time, and it still is.” Bruce explained, using layman’s terms instead of scientific jargons to ensure that everyone understood.

“He might have hidden behind an alias, but everyone and their grandparents knew that Stark Industries provided the weaponries and technologies needed to ensure Earth’s safety and peace. SI and some outside scientists and researchers created the suits.” Fury added as if it was a matter of fact. “Regardless, Edward Carbonell disappeared after the war, and Tony Stark emerged to take the mantle as the CEO and Inventor of Stark Industries. We don’t know where the other five pilots are, but from the conversation with Stark, it seemed they are still among us and ready to fight for mankind at a moment’s notice.”

“How come we don’t know this?” Natasha looked over suspiciously.

Fury resisted the urge to scoff at her suspicion, and glanced out the window so he didn’t have to look at anyone’s expression. “No one had the exact profile on any of the pilots. They all used aliases, and the only reason I knew about Stark was because he’s my damn godson. Moreover, how did you think he was able to construct his first Iron Man in a damn cave with a box of scraps if he didn’t have prior knowledge about it? Behind that suit of armor, Rogers, is a genius who brought the means to end the first alien invasion with his inventions.”

**Author's Note:**

> Azrael: an angel in the Abrahamic religions. He is often identified with the Angel of Destruction and Renewal of the Hebrew Bible
> 
> This is a one-shot, but if you would like to continue this yourself, feel free to do so (provided you gave me credit if you used this).


End file.
